Beetle
by 0xRosethornx0
Summary: In The dead of the night, Hanabi screams. Oneshot, no pairings.


When has it been my last update? It feels like forever. But I am not gone yet, and will continue one with my stories.

Another update should be coming very soon.

* * *

Hanabi's screams permeated the entire house in the dead of the night like an echo of a horror in which no survivors lived to speak of. The cries of terror awoke the three other occupants of the house from their peaceful slumber of wishful dreams and silly fantasies.

Lord Hiashi, the father of the culprit of the screams, tiredly mumbled "my eldest will tend to that" before dosing himself with a rather strong sleeping aid that instantly knocked him out cold for the next four hours.

A longhaired brunette boy sleepily searched the drawer of his small nightstand after lifting his face from his pillow. He drew out a set of black headphones and an old player and proceeded to drown out the screams with the soothing faint melody of violins and bases. He reassuredly whispered "Hinata-sama will deal with her" before bringing the coverlet over his head and blacked out.

A young teenage girl with long blue hair and dressed in a lavender nightgown jump straight out of bed, nudged her door open and dashed through the darkened hallway without making a single sound.

The crickets, whose concert of staccato chirps had been abruptly paused by the loud shout from within the household, continued their song.

* * *

Hinata knew that Hanabi would meet any danger herself with only the swish of a kunai and the shuffling of fast moving legs to warn others that something was afoot. She also knew that Hanabi feared very little and did not believe in monsters that lurked under the bed, inside the closet, or within the shadowy corners; all shinobi knew that there were real monsters beyond the imagination. So Hinata wondered what unusual circumstance was causing her imouto to scream in fright.

* * *

The door of the younger girl's room was slammed open. With the flick of a wrist bright lights glowed from the ceiling.

"Hanabi! What's wrong?"

The occupant of the room bawled from inside her personal bathroom. The covers and pillows have been thrown aggressively as if someone had been in a rush to escape the warm fabric. A few little toys and knickknacks were scattered here and there on the wooden floor. The bathroom door was closed, locked probably, and several towels peeked out from under the doorway.

Hinata stood in front of the bathroom door and knocked. The sobbing from inside quickly became muffled whimpers.

"Hanabi?"

"Neechan!"

"What's front imouto-chan?"

"There's a, there's-"

"Hanabi-"

"THERE'S A BIG ROACH IN MY ROOM!"

Hinata did not speak for a moment, and the crying continued.

"Where?"

Sob "Window!"

With that Hinata made a quick retreat to the hallway to retrieve a broom from the closet. When she returned, she tiptoed to her little sister's bed and the large curtained window behind it. With their above average senses she knew there indeed is a large bug crawling all over the window, inside the bedroom. She hesitantly brought one leg up on the small bed and then the other, until she was standing on the bed.

Hinata raised the broom's end in front of her, ready to hit her target. Her arm slowly rose from her side and gently grasped onto one of the curtains. She counted to three in her head before yanking the curtain free from view.

Hinata blinked. Then spoke loud enough for the young girl in the bathroom to hear.

"Hanabi, it's a beetle."

"SO?! KILL IT! KILL IT NOW!"

The girl continued her bouts of tears.

Hinata lowered the broom and threw it behind her, the stick hitting the floor with a sharp thunk. Hinata then held out her palm flat, the tips of her fingers tapping on the glass just below the critter, before carefully swooping up the harmless bug.

She cradled the kikaichu with both hands and quickly headed for the doorway. She shed a lone tear.

It was not a coincidence; the bug came not from pure chance; there was no denying the reality of the appearance of the kikaichu in the Hyuuga home.

"Hanabi, you can come out now. Its out of your room now."

Hinata did not stay long to see her terrified sister come out.

* * *

When she had returned to her bedroom, Hinata went straight to the potted plant at her windowsill. She gently placed the bug into its temporary and final habitat. Hinata knew that the bug will be dead in the morning anyway, and decided to deal with the matter at a more appropriate time.

* * *

The bluenette girl walked out of her home after a short breakfast, carrying a small topless box and a dead queen. She swept past the vendors that were just opening and a couple of citizens that were making some early rounds. She bid a good morning to a few, including a passing genin team that was a little reluctant to start a mission so soon after the break of dawn. The girl made it to the opposite side of the village where she knew the Aburame resided in. After passing a few homes she noticed three tall figures standing some yards in front of her. One was the familiar man that Hinata knew as her teammate's father, Shibi, gourdless for the first time since Hinata had met him. The other was her teammate himself and the last was a woman dressed like any other civilian. The woman held a happily bouncing newborn girl.

She stopped five feet away before bowing to the older man and gave the same courtesy to the woman and her teammate. They bowed back in politeness and then returned to their straight, concealing stature. Without a word, Hinata came closer and held out the box, which Aburame Shibi took after a few seconds. The man nodded to the Hyuuga heiress before turning away and heading towards somewhere Hinata did not know of. The woman made one step forward and thanked her, though she did not sound thankful in any way, before turning as well to follow the man.

The two members of Team eight look past one another. Hinata could not restrain herself from sadly staring at the little giggling bundle in the woman's arms.

Hinata decided to speak first, as she knew her friend wouldn't.

"S-Shino-kun, gomen, f-for your loss."

Because in the Aburame family, the bugs are introduced at birth, and if the host's body rejects the bugs, the person could never learn the techniques of the clan, and thus never become shinobi. An Aburame without a hive was as good to the clan as any other civilian.

Aburame Rikkai, barely three days old, rejected the bugs and the potential hive's queen.

Eight others born before her had rejected them as well.

The Aburame clan continued to dwindle.

"It was inevitable, but thank you for your concern, Hinata-chan."

"I-If o-only there was s-something I co-could do...."

Shino gestured with his hand for her to stop speaking.

"You have done more than you were expected to, Hinata-chan, and we thank you for that."

He looked at his teammate. His shades were rather dull and expressionless and revealed nothing, but Hinata would never betray her comrade with the activation of her own blood limit.

"I do not intend to show up in practice today, and I suggest you do the same. I would not want you to be stuck with Kiba all day."

"O-okay, Shino-kun. Jaa nee."

"Farewell, Hinata-chan."

And with that, they turned away to their own destinations.

* * *

She returned to find her family eating the breakfast she left on the stove for them. Hanabi looked rather tired and worn out, and kept yawning very loudly without covering her mouth. Her father reprimanded Hanabi for her unlady-like behavior with a quiet mutter.

The trio at the table faced the girl that had just emerged.

"Good morning, daughter. Where have you gone to so early this morning?"

"Yeah, and did you get rid of that creepy ugly bug, too?"

Neji watched with slight curiosity.

Hinata simply informed them that she was going to sleep some more, and then dragged herself back to bed and soared to dreamland, unbothered by the light glaring outside.

* * *

She later replaced the plant in her windowsill with a flowering bonsai.

* * *

Good night everyone.


End file.
